New 190,000 sq ft speculative development in the offing at MA6NITUDE

DBS Pochin, the joint venture partnership between db symmetry and Pochin’s, has submitted a planning application to build 190,000 sq ft of industrial and distribution accommodation at its flagship logistics park, MA6NITUDE.

The development is one of a limited number of large speculative schemes currently being progressed in Cheshire. The JV had previously submitted an application for a 160,000 sq ft facility as part of the first phase of development on the 1.75 million sq ft site, but plans have now evolved as a consequence of Cheshire East Council announcing its preferred route for the proposed Middlewich bypass.

As such, plans are in place to bring to market a larger development comprising two single occupancy units of 149,000 and 41,000 sq ft on Plot 1A. The occupiers will join the likes of Wincanton, B&M Retail and Scottish Power Energy Networks on the park, which has provisional approval for industrial builds as large as 600,000 sq ft.

Commenting on the new plans, Pochin’s director Bob Nicholson said: “The boost that Middlewich and the wider area will receive from the new bypass has been well-documented for some time now. We’ve been long-time supporters of Cheshire East Council’s plans and we expect the road to play an integral part in linking more than a million economically active people to the area. Our plan for the three-phased development of MA6NITUDE extends beyond the next 10 years, so we’ve been more than happy to adapt our short-term plans to accommodate such an important development for Middlewich.”

db symmetry’s development director Dan Burn added: “Due to the ongoing shortage of speculative development in the North West, there is a real opportunity for MA6NITUDE to capitalise on the demand that exists and further reinforce its position as a major strategic logistics hub.”

“Whilst the 149,000 sq ft still caters for the wider regional logistics market that we had originally been targeting with our previous application, switching the site has allowed us to cater for more local occupiers where we are currently seeing strong demand. If the planning application is successful, we will start on site early in the new year with a view to reaching practical completion in Q3 2018.”